Major Prince and the 1859 S San Francisco Branch Mint onedollar gold pieces
Dan Owens

Spring had finally arrived after a hard winter, and with it arenewed sense of optimism.

The hourglass that marked the seasons had finally turned andgrains of gold would begin their annual march to the BranchMint.

In April of 1859, surrounded by anavalanche of double eagles, 15,000 one dollar gold pieces werestruck at the San Francisco Branch Mint. They were the only golddollar coins produced at the Branch Mint since June of 1858.During the time period these pieces were struck, Major HenryPrince, paymaster for the Utah Army, was in San Francisco fromCamp Floyd via Placerville to get U.S. Government draftscashed.

The San Francisco Bulletin on April 19th, stated that Princehad received the greater part of the amount of $150,000 coined inthe Mint here in one dollar gold pieces.

However, the Branch Mint had only struck 74,232 one dollargold coins in total, for the years 1854-1859. Instead, I think amore accurate statement would be that he received nearly $15,000in one dollar gold coins as part of the Army's payroll. ThusI believe that a significant number of the surviving examples of1859 S gold dollars were a part of Prince's 1859 Utah Armypayroll.

The destination of the payroll was Camp Floyd located atFairfield, Utah Territory. The newspapers wrote about thescarcity of money that had been severely felt during the wintermonths, not only by the Army but by the sutlers, merchants anddealers in general, who had been looking with anxiety for thereturn of Major Prince from California.

The Deseret News took exception to the news item published inthe Bulletin, stating that the local folks had been led tobelieve that no inconsiderable amount of the "hardstuff" would be shortly put in circulation after the returnof the Paymaster. The writer went on to sarcastically commentthat the golden dreams of the money seekers will not be realizedto any extent this time. In addition, the amount and type ofmoney (one dollar gold pieces) obtained by Prince could have beenbrought through by any private gentleman without exciting thesuspicions of a fellow traveler that he had more than thenecessary pocket money along with him.

The writer concluded by asking if the Bulletin actually thinksthat $150,000 would pay off the troops in the Department of Utah,when a number with one more zero on the right would be bettersuited to get the job done.

Regardless, on April 20th, Prince had left San Francisco Bayon the steamer Senator bound south for the port of San Pedro. Hewould then travel overland by way of Los Angeles and SanBernardino to the Utah Territory.

On April 21st, General Johnston, in command of soldiers in thethousands at Camp Floyd, gave Captain Reuben P. Campbell 2ndDragoons, orders to travel as far south as Santa Clara inSouthern Utah with one company of Dragoons and two of infantry.His mission was to protect travelers on the southern route in thespring from possible Indian threats and to escort Prince in hisquest to deliver the payroll to Camp Floyd.

An eyewitness to a review of Johnson's forces at the Campnoted that the Dragoons on horseback in full dress and thebatteries of Artillery, put on an unequaled display of splendorand effect.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles press noted that on April 24th,Major Prince took out $147,000, to pay the army and attaches inUtah. Brevet Major James H. Carleton, Company K, 1st Dragoons,would command the escort, alongside him was Lieut. C.H. Ogle. Thearmed escort had arrived from Fort Tejon north of Los Angeles. ALos Angeles based correspondent believed that Prince was reallycarrying half a million dollars.

On April 26th, the U.S. Army payroll was rolling through theCajon Pass. The entourage consisted of half a dozen wagons, withmule teams; an ambulance, and a few travelers, who were wellknown to the soldiers. An insider wrote: "Thus far, theroad, country, weather, grass, water and wood, have made ourmarch a pleasure trip."

Major Prince and his escort exchanged wagons at the Muddy (ariver approximately 60 miles north of present day Las Vegas),with Major Paul who had left Provo on April 21st. It was notedthat, Major Carleton, Lieut. Ogle and men were all well, andprogressing comfortably. The Indians along the road werepeaceable.

During the month of May, Major Carleton via Prince'streasure convoy had met up with Captain Campbell's forces atthe Santa Clara River in Utah before heading up to MountainMeadows. In a detailed report published in 1859, entitled SpecialReport on the Mountain Meadows Massacre, Carleton stated he leftLos Angeles on the 23rd of April, not the 24th alluded to earlierin the Los Angeles press, along with specific orders from GeneralClarke of the California Department to bury the bones of theMountain Meadows massacre victims.

In September of 1857, a wagon train of Arkansas emigrants hadbeen massacred primarily at the hands of a band of Mormonsdisguised as Indians. Upon Carleton's arrival at MountainMeadows on May 16th, Campbell came up with his men from theirencampment at the Santa Clara. Both parties would now make campat the site.

On his way down from Camp Floyd, Campbell's command hadalready stopped at Mountain Meadows and under the skillful eyesof Assistant Surgeon Dr. Brewer United States Army, buried anumber of human remains that were plainly visible and scatteredabout the grounds. A grim reminder of a dark page in the historyof the West.

On May 20th, Carleton lead a party of men and made a morethorough search for human remains particularly amongst the sagebrush and had them interred in a common grave marked by a stonecairn made of loose granite with a cross on top. Both PaymasterPrince, Dr. Brewer and others would help Carleton sift throughthe evidence for his report.

On June 1st, Prince arrived at Camp Floyd under the escort ofCaptain Campbell. To quote a local source: "All thegamblers, etc. have gone there, and we may soon expect to recorda rush of business and plenty of the needful..." Prince, andCarleton went on to serve honorably for the Union in the CivilWar. Campbell resigned from the United States Army and joined theConfederacy out of his native state of North Carolina. He diedleading a charge of his men at the first battle of Cold Harbor in1862.

According to United States gold coin expert Doug Winter, the1859 S one dollar gold piece is undervalued in Uncirculated.Winter states: There are probably around 15 or so known (whichmakes it comparable to the much better- known and more highlyvalued 1859 D) with nearly all in MS 60 to MS 61. In MS 62, the1859 S is quite rare and he has never seen an example that gradedhigher than MS 63. He believes the 1859 S is one of the moreundervalued issues in the entire gold dollar series.